Fates' Play
by Jetafray Angel
Summary: After the events of TUE, Danny automatically refuses to live with Vlad. His other option? Attend a school somewhere in some far away town where only nerds reside. Yeah, not his kind of cake, but is much better then becoming some evil, psychotic killing machine. T for possible swearing, and stuff I may want to add in.
1. LIVE Academy

**Hello to all humans, ghosts, and other creatures. I, in fact, am here****to give you something I HOPE I shall not loose interest on.**

**Note: This story takes place after TUE, but all events beside PP have ****happened. In short, I'm moving TUE to the end of season three.**

**Second note: I am currently practicing descriptive writing. If you ****think something was unclear, review to let me know, so I can go back** **and edit it.**

**Third Note: I own neither MBS or DP, nor do I make any money from posting this ****fan fiction. Only the plot idea is my own. This applies to the entire story.**

**See you at the bottom! Enjoy!**

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_Summary: After the events of TUE, Danny automatically refuses to live_ _with Vlad. His other option? Attend a school somewhere in some far_ _away town where only nerds reside. Yeah, not his kind of cake, but is_ _much better then becoming some evil, psychotic killing machine._

Danny was frowning uncontrollably in the back of a black car. His eyes were swollen red, from what most people assumed was a common feeling: morn, loss, sadness… But if you looked closely enough, you could see the guilt that laid hidden under the softness of his blue eyes.

If you did see it, you would only wonder why. After all, it wasn't his fault all his friends and family (and teacher) perished. It wasn't his fault he was too injured from fighting some older, malevolent ghost eviler then even Phantom could defeat to save his loved ones (and teacher).

But you see, it was his fault, or so he believed. What had killed his loved ones (and teacher) wasn't any normal specter. It was, unmistakably, an older him from his future. Even though his shaggy black hair could not be compared to the white fire that was on the dark beings head, it was still him.

He had been there. He had won; he had beaten his older, evil self. He had tried to save his family…but he was too weak from fighting himself that he couldn't even become what he had always been. And then he tripped, landing hard on his pale flesh, and watched in pure guilt and loss and the other common emotions.

After all, he had been given the ghost powers, why couldn't he save his family from himself?

Ever since he got the powers, all he did was help people. True, everyone assumed he was a villain himself, but he strained for good. Constantly beating back ghosts, lacking in school, coming home with mysterious bruises, cuts, and looking beyond tired, Danny would risk his life (and did, too, on a daily bases) for any member in the town.

So what if he had the urge to cheat on a test? It's not like he would've passed anyway. Heck, he would've failed worse then Dash on that test. He had a right. Because, seriously, he risked his (half) life on the sorry town each and every damn day!

If only he hadn't had that single evil urge, then Vlad would not have been correct, and he would not turn into that evil monster.

But, now…

It wasn't going to happen, even though his loved ones (and teacher) were dead. In the blue duffle bag beside him, sat the green and silver soup container that held his older self.

But Danny, his subconscious glad he was not going to live with Vlad, was unsure about the new school he would live in. The school was halfway across the map, and was made for highly talented students, wether they be smart, crafty, clever, or just plain special.

Danny wasn't any of these things. Okay, true he was a half-ghost, but he kept that a secret from everyone. But his friends…and apparently his sister…. He wasn't smart, a C average on a good trimester, wasn't crafty or clever, hint the nickname: Clueless1, and wasn't special in any open way.

Still, even though it seemed LIVE had a mishap when inviting Danny to live there, he would not pass it up. After all, not going to Vlad's meant no future evil self, which meant no dead loved one (and teacher)!

The black car halted outside, and even through his murky, teary vision, Danny could see the school from the middle seat. True, he first had to cross the bridge and enter through the guard house. Two people stepped forward —a young man and a young women.

Danny looked down and began to fiddle with his thumbs, his gaze sometimes looking up. They were dressed in business suits, black sunglasses covered their eyes, and they had on the most positive smile any person could have. Mentally, Danny compared them to nicer versions of the GiW, only in navy suits and not white.

The car moved forward some more, causing Danny's back to slam into the back of the seat. He didn't even groan, having received much worse impacts from his many fights.

Danny looked up, whipping a tear, as he felt the cold air come in from the open window.

"Can I help you?" The man asked, looking into the car. Danny felt oddly strange, as if he was trying to pear into his soul. His cologne was strong, and it made Danny's sensitive senses sting.

"This is Daniel Fenton," the driver informed, shooting a proud grin towards him. Danny gave him a small, and sincere, one in return. "He'll be attending the school."

"Why is he crying?" the women asked, pearling in beside the man. "It looks like he's been doing it for a long time."

Her perfume was worse then the cologne.

"His family got caught in a nasty explosion a few weeks back," the driver informed, then leaned in to whisper something. Danny could hear it, even though he knew he shouldn't have been able to. "He's the only survivor, and refused to be taken in by Vlad Masters. This was his…only other respectable option."

Both the man and women smiled kindly at Danny, and he felt positive vibes coming from them. "Wait here, please," the man asked, placing his hands on the closed window. He used that to pull him up, and he strolled back over to the guard house, never dropping a smile.

If Danny had felt like making a witty comment then, it would've been about how badly the man's mouth must hurt from holding a smile so long.

Danny gave a fake grin at the women, though resisted the urge to cringe under the strong smell of roses.

Sam had hated roses.

His bottom lip began to quiver lightly, and he hung his head. Butting his lip until it stopped, he looked up. The man was still in the house, and it seemed he had missed something that the man had yelled back to the woman.

Finally, the man returned, and was still smiling.

"Welcome here, Daniel," he said happily.

"It's Danny," Danny corrected, blinking a couple times to clear his vision.

"Daniel," the man ignored. "You may drive up the the front most gate. I'll radio them to let you in. You're lucky, you know. We should have some more kids in a couple weeks."

Danny grinned, ignoring the fact he had refused to call him his nickname.

Danny pulled his bags out of the car, and swung a blue duffle bag over his shoulder. That bag had his prized possessions in it: A Fenton Thermos, a few sets of blueprints, some CDs (the radio never played an Dumpty Humpty anymore), and a couple posters. It was heavy, and if anyone asked what was in it, he'd just reply it was something that reminded him of his family—and it wasn't even a lie.

Someone new—a woman also in a suit and impossible smile—had asked for a form, one which had been signed by his Aunt Alicia (Vlad had refused).

He was dropped off at the bridge gate, left alone to feel the slightly chilly air that clung to him. Danny didn't mind, though, cold had always been his favorite. Always. It just got better when he figured out how to control it, so it worked all that much better.

Danny saw the wide vary of white-dressed workers hauling around things, and gave them smiles back as they sent light grins at him. Some seemed to be a bit energy-less, but Danny ignored the fact, feeling a bit tired himself.

He waited there, standing in the chill, for a good half hour before finally realizing he was deathly bored. What he really wanted to do, though, was shift into his other form and just fly around and let the breeze whip his hair back. He hadn't done that for a while, and it sounded promising.

Mentally, he added that to his to-do list that night.

To pass time, he glanced at the area before him, noting the many guard houses (no wonder it was such a high-quality school), a storage shed, the the little loading area where a few ships (small, but surly) left and returned. He could hear the sound of a river flowing widely, and knew that the water would be freezing.

He briefly wondered if it would freeze over in the winter (seeing as it was late fall), and he could ice-skate a bit. He hadn't liked doing that until he found out he could just hover over it and pretend, and fall sometimes on the cold ice.

Danny, snapping out of his day-dream, slowly moved to sit on the edge of the bridge. He found himself looking under it, and smiling at the activity that was going on like crazy under it. Workers moved about, loading crates and unloading them. My way cheerfully back at Danny, and he grinned.

The little sunlight under the bridge reflected on the silver watches they were wearing.

"You must be Daniel," a kind voice said. It was a boy dressed some blue pants, a fancy white tunic, and blue sash running along the left side of his chest. He was built decently, but his hair was a red color that greatly resembled Jazz's. His blue eyes were icy, but not as cold as Danny's could be. What really stood out was his pointy nose, and Danny had to resist the urge to poke it to see if it might slice his  
finger.

Another girl followed him, dressed in the same attire. Her build was much more muscular, not at all like the thin and powerfulness Sam's body had had. Her hair was very greasy-looking, almost like she hasn't washed it in days, and her eyes were little slits in her face.

"That's me," Danny informed. "But please call me Danny."

"That's nice, Daniel," the girl said. Danny began to wonder if everyone would just ignore his nickname. "I'm Jillison, by the way."

"And I'm Jackson," the boy stated. "Anyway, lets be moving along."

"We will show you to the room first, so you can dump your bags there."

Danny frowned at the pair, not liking the feeling of being rushed. His eyes were still a bit red, but he supposed that, at such a busy school, it only made sense that they'd want to hurry. He didn't want to tell them about his loved ones (and teacher, although he'd leave that one out), just because…well…it was just one of those things he didn't want many people to know.

The pair walked in front of him, and Danny was forced to lift up the two suitcases and duffle bag by himself. It wasn't a problem, thanks to his super strength, but he felt that they should've at least offered.

But he followed, and his feet crushed lightly on the gray gravel walkway that lead up to the Institute building he would be living in until, quite possibly, his college days. When they made it to the plaza, another chilling breeze swept by, causing the two elder teens before him to shiver.

Danny only grinned.

A pang of emptiness seeped into his heart as they made it to a rocky garden, but there was still some life of the plants. Sam would've loved that.

He was finally shown to his dorm room (he had the benefit of getting one to himself, at least, for now), and couldn't help but let a small  
frown pass over. There were two bunk beds, making a total of four twin beds, two desks and a couple chairs, a large television (of which Danny normally would be thrilled about, but because of his constant fighting, television wasn't something he liked, especially since Technus), a radiator (which would be on low unless icicles were coming from the ceiling), and a nice set of wooden wardrobes. The thing Danny liked the most was the open window view of the plaza, so it wouldn't be a major problem. If he saw something outside (like a ghost), he wouldn't need to worry about making his way through other rooms in search of it.

Danny jumped about an inch when Jackson began speaking, sounding almost as if he said this to all the newcomers (and he might, Danny didn't know).

"In case you need anything, ask one of us Executives. You'll know who we are—we always wear the white tunic, blue pants, and the sash. We run the show, us Executives. Most of us were amazing Messengers, so Mr. Curtain just hired us on."

"Don't confuse us with Messengers, though," Jillison added. "They're the ones in striped pants. They're normal students, like you—" Danny huffed inwardly at the irony "—They're just an upper class with special privileges. Secret ones, I might add. But you'll learn all about that soon enough."

"Just get unpacked, be sure to watch some television is ya want. You'll get an orientation tour in a couple hours; that's when you can meet Mr. Curtain himself," Jackson finished, smiling at Danny.

"Who's Mr. Curtain?" Danny questioned, blinking. He knew someone had mentioned that name before him, but he had been so…grieving that he probably hasn't noticed.

Jackson huffed angrily. "Sometimes I forget how clueless children are."

Danny cringed. Clueless was something Sam and Tucker called him, and it kinda hurt when he was being called that by some jerk who had no clue what he had went through. He felt cheated. No, he felt like Sam and Ticker had been cheated. It wasn't right, or, at least, it didn't feel that way.

"Mr. Curtain's the boss," Jackson informed. "He's the person who founded the Institute, and he's the reason we're all here. Clear?"

Danny just nodded, saving his breakdown. It wouldn't do him good, and they'd just treat him like a wimp if he did break down.

"Good," Jackson confirmed, smiling proudly. "See you soon."

Danny thought he heard an "unfortunately" in there.

When Jackson shut the door, the first thing Danny did was sigh loudly and collapse on the bottom bunk of a bed. He was furious at Jackson and Jillison for not calling him Danny, pissed that they called him clueless, and just plain old tired from everything.

He picked up the pillow and sobbed silently, breaking down, once again, from his loved ones (and teacher's) demise.

**I'm back.**

**So, as far as pairings go, I have a poll on my profile posted on what** **you think. Poll lasts until I get the second chapter up, because I** **hope to drag in the MBS around chapter three or four. :)**

**Leave a review on constructive criticism. All is needed! I will do my** **best to answer any questions as well.**

**As the French say, au revoir! **

**~Je**t


	2. Martina Crow…and Boxy

It wasn't long before his tears ran out and his eyes were bloodshot once again—at most it was ten minutes. And, it wasn't long after that he knew he could sit there and sulk. It was (half) killing him, and he needed fresh air.

Getting up with protest from his muscles (despite the fact he had no ghost hunting, he's been off the hook for weeks, and when your tense and stuff, it hurts. Lots.), he let his eyes wander the room for a second.

He ignored all of it, not bothering turning on the television before letting two blue rings wash over him. It was a good feeling, refreshing him. When the light show was ended, Daniel Fenton no longer stood there. Instead, there was a ghost. One who went by Danny Phantom.

The usual humor and silliness that usually held the glowing green eyes was gone, and instead they were filled with the same sadness Fenton's eyes had, and the glow was lower then normal.

Still, he forced a smile upon himself. His body becoming translucent, he lifted off his feet and flew through the window intangibly. When Danny saw some nearby workers, his body completely vanished into invisibility.

The smile was no longer forced as he took off sharply into the air, letting the coolness whip back his hair. For a good half hour he remained in the air, just doing minor tumblings and forgetting all his worries.

Afterwards, he allowed himself a smile that wasn't forced. It had been weeks, and even if he was still sad over all their deaths, it would never get better if he didn't accept it.

Danny Fenton walked along the gravel walkways, hands in pockets. Sometimes he wished the workers would smile back, but it was as if they wanted nothing to do with him, and just completely avoided eye contact.

It was so unlike Amity Park that it surprised Danny. He had seen a few students wandering about that afternoon, some in the plaza, some just on the pathways.

One girl had even run into him, garbed in a similar outfit to Jackson and Jillison, only she didn't have the sash. Her hair was the same color as Sam's had been, and only slightly longer. She was built thicker then Sam, but had the muscle to make up for it.

Overall, if she had been in combat boots, Danny would've thought her and Sam had been related.

"Watch where you're going," she snarled.

"S-sorry," Danny muttered, his eyes never leaving the girl's. "I wasn't paying attention."

His honesty almost seemed to calm the girl a slight bit, and when he smiled lightly, she just growled.

"Obviously. Who are you, anyway? I've never seen you around."

"Danny Fenton," he answered, sticking out his hand for the girl to shake. Now that he think about it, she didn't look that much older. At most two years. "I'm new here. Actually, I just got here."

The girl smirked. "Well, I'm Martina Crow," she stated, and shook Danny's hand harshly. "Seeing as you're new, I'm guessing you haven't learned about Messengers and Executives yet."

Danny nodded. "I was told about them. Are you a Messenger?"

Martina smiled proudly, but her grin seemed a bit dark. "Yeah, I am, and a well-deserving one, too. Whose showing you around?"

"Jackson and Jillison," Danny answered with a light laugh. The girl was actually bit like Sam in looks and fright, but like Paulina in how she thought of herself.

'The combination of my two crushes,' he thought sadly.

"Of course it is them," Martina said, rolling her eyes. She was actually a bit more gentle now… "They show almost everyone around."

Yeah, Danny had kinda figured that.

"Maybe I'll see you in class?" Danny asked slowly, hoping him and the girl could be friends. She just seemed…kinda violent…and yet trust worthy…in a sense that if you earned her trust, she would do almost everything to keep yours.

Martina allowed a small smile. "Maybe, Fenton, maybe."

Danny walked into a small classroom, Jackson and Jillison behind him. The tour was over, from staying to the yellow pathways and the introduction with the Helper. He even was shown where some other dormitories were.

The classroom was average sized, a desk at the front and center with a whiteboard. It slightly reminded Danny of Mr. Lancer's old room, only this one felt a bit more homey and welcoming, unlike Lancer's, whom's just made you want the day to end. Well, it did for Danny, at least.

Aside from that, the room was empty of all people besides the three of them.

"Go a pick a seat. Mr. Curtain will be here soon and he'll tell you the rules and such," Jillison ordered.

Danny just nodded, picking one at the center of the first row. Then, suddenly (and quite surprisingly), Danny gasped. If Jackson or Jillison had been paying attention to him, they would've noticed the blue mist that escaped his mouth.

"BEWARE!"

Oh. It was him.

"Who said that?" Jackson demanded, looking frantically around the room.

"It is I, the Box Ghost!"

Jillison gave a screech, Jackson looked around more frantically, looking terrified.

"Don't worry," Danny said, all aware he was as Fenton. He calmly waited.

The Box Ghost's head phased into the room through the floor just below Jackson and Jillison, and both gave an indignant scream as he floated in front of Danny. "You!"

"Me," was all Danny said, reaching into his back pocket. He pulled out the Fenton Thermos, uncapping it. "And now it's no longer you." In a flash of blue light, the Box Ghost vanished into the Thermos.

It wasn't just surprising that Boxy had found him. Then again, this place did have a few natural portals. He had found a couple on his flight, and the spectral energy was strong here. Not as much so as Amity, but still some.

Jillison was the first to recover. "What the hell was that?" she demanded, glaring angrily at Danny. She was furious for being scared. She didn't do scared.

"Just Boxy," Danny informed. "He's just a major annoyance where I'm from. Nothing to be afraid of."

If Danny had thought about it, he felt much more happy. Martina was (kind of) a friend, and Boxy had scared a couple of brave Executives. It was funny, and made Danny's troubles just fly away.

"He said he was a ghost!" Jackson cried, throwing his hands in the air. He didn't do scared, either.

"He is," Danny informed. He was loving this! "He's just a really stupid one. You're lucky I was here, otherwise you'd have embarrassed yourselves in front of the entire school if you went out there, claiming you saw a ghost."

They blinked once. Twice.

"He has a point," he heard Jillison whisper to Jackson. It was rude for him to eavesdrop, but he had advanced hearing for a reason. "What if Mr. Curtain heard about that?"

"We should tell Mr. Curtain," Jackson stated. "That was very interesting."

Danny would've kept listening, but a high-pitched squeaking came from down the hallway, getting louder and louder. Finally, whatever it was slammed into the door, causing it to fly open.

A white-haired man flew into the room on a wheel chair. His nose was long and pink-colored, he was dressed in lots of green, and dark shades covered his eyes.

"Hello, Daniel," he said, pulling to a brake in front of his desk. Their eyes met, and for a moment Danny thought the man was very, very pleased to see him.

"I am Mr. Curtain, and welcome to the Living Institute for the Very Enlightened."

**I am aware it is short. Thank you for the follows and favs, though. Those came a bit quicker then I expected! :3**

**Pairings. Seeing as Danny is going to be 15 in this fic and Martina is 16, they are coming up to it. I have a plan for them, too…Because, honestly, Martina was one of my favorite characters. She reminds me of Sam in a lot of ways…Well, some, anyway.**

**Because I typed this up on my phone very badly, point out mistakes so I can fix it, please.**

**'Til next time!**

**Jet**


	3. Mr Curtain and…

_"I am Mr. Curtain, and welcome to the Living Institute for the Very Enlightened."_

"Our school is a special school, you know that, correct?" Mr. Curtain asked, finally leaning back in his wheelchair.

"I guess so, sir," Danny replied, shifting oddly. It felt weird…

"You guessed correctly," Mr. Curtain stated. "Unlike most schools, we do not have normal classes. Instead, we teach you our own special curriculum. What's more, we practically have no rules at our school."

Danny, forgetting about how odd it had been a second ago, instantly became interested.

"We do not teach math, science, history, and such. Our teachings is about our government, what to improve, and important lessons. See, we show the student how to think on their own, and not tell them what they are supposed to think. We teach our students how to LIVE, boy!"

Danny kinda gulped. Well, he still had half a life to live, right?

"Here, at the Institute, students can wear whatever they want and whenever they want as long as you wear trousers, a shirts, and a pair of shoes. You can eat whatever you like and whenever, as long as it's in the respected eating times."

For once, the usually clueless Danny wasn't there that day. "But, sir, those sound a lot like rules…"

Mr. Curtain winked. "Many things that sound like rules really aren't, my boy."

"That's confusing, sir."

"I am aware, Daniel."

"Please, call me Danny," he corrected. "I prefer it."

Mr. Curtain ignored him. "See, Daniel, at our school you will be taught the way to live. And if you have as good as grades as your sister did, I am sure you will work your way up the ladders at amazing speeds. Oh, and I'm so sorry for your loss."

Danny frowned. "Sir, in case you never noticed, I'm a C-average student. I can't get math, History is so lame I usually fall asleep, and Science is just too much…"

"What did I say earlier, Daniel? We don't teach that stuff."

Oh. Right.

"For example, Jackson, Jillison, mind you reciting our Free Market Drill? Most of it, at least, please."

They nodded. "The free market must always be completely free. The free market must be controlled in certain cases. The free market must be free enough to control it's freedom in certain cases. The free market must have enough control–"

"That's enough," Mr. Curtain interrupted, holding up his hand to silence the Executives. "Daniel, our classes are mainly simple, understanding classes. We do not divide them up by intelligence or age. It's all random so everyone is totally, and completely, free. Understood?"

Danny just nodded, although he really didn't.

"Good, classes start tomorrow for you. Also know that you may end up with a few roommates soon. No one gets a lone room for very long."

With that, Mr. Curtain turned his wheelchair back on and zoomed out, Jackson and Jillison trailing behind him. Danny was left in the room, feeling even more confused then ever, and just wanting a friend he could talk to about this stuff.

Mr. Curtain flew into his office quickly, the area neat, door slamming closed as Jackson and Jillison entered, and a few papers flying from the gust of him entering.

After eight years of sending Receivers after that boy and his sister, they'd always come back empty-handed. It was rare for them to fail, even if they were making a kidnapping of a child with a parent.

Jasmine had been reading math books at a middle school level the moment she entered elementary, and that's what first got their attention. They had sent people there, but their was always something stopping them.

And when Daniel Fenton entered middle school, it came to their attention he had potential. He would watch lots of TV, play video games, but none of the messages got through his school. After all, it had been useful on Mr. Curtain's part to place an Executive as his Science teacher.

True, it had mainly been for Jasmine, but Daniel was a fine bonus.

High school was a new story. There, Daniel's grades dropped rapidly, and every Receiver sent after him said he wasn't at his house, or he was on some sort of vacation or school holiday.

Now, at least one of the children was in their clutches.

The Fenton boy raised many questions. They only greatened when Jillison and Jackson reported that he could fight. It made sense he would've learned from his parents, but all logical teenage behavior proved against it.

No, the boy was self-taught, and one of the best fighters. He would be perfect for missions.

But, because he fought ghosts, that meant he must've had some helpers.

Samantha Manson and Tucker Foley. Samantha Manson had first came to their attention early middle school when she refused to dissect a squid, and then freed cats from a shelter. It only got better for her when she hit eighth grade, when she and Daniel lead them on to Tucker Foley.

He would hack into anything. It was known to them he hacked into the GiW computers often. He would watch television and be effected, but he would always mess up the frequency when he fixed something in the television to stop the messages.

It was very upsetting when all three of those possibilities was lost in an explosion. But, now, they had one, and the most curious one it was.

It was like the boy made you want him. He was just the boy you wanted to obey you. You wanted to be that someone the boy looked up to, the person the boy would follow to the ends of the earth.

And now that Mr. Curtain had him so close, there was no way he would let go.

Danny made his way out of the classroom in time to head to the cafeteria. He had been there before a meal, and so there was no food cooking, but apparently it was supposed to be amazing.

It was his luck that, on his way there, he ran into Martina Crow.

"Danny?" he heard her call from behind. He swung around, smiling lightly at her.

"Yeah, how are ya, Martina?"

She shrugged. "Pretty good, I guess. I didn't see you in classes today."

"I start tomorrow," he informed. Their eyes met, and Danny found himself blushing.

"What's the matter, Fenton?" she asked with a smirk.

"You just remind me of someone," Danny answered, his eyes slowly burning red. "You really remind me of someone…" A small tear streamed down his cheek, and Martina frowned as she walked up to wipe it away.

"I hope it's a good person. And someone with an attitude, and not a total goody-to-shoes."

Danny forced a laugh. "She was a lot like you. Her name was Sam Manson. Although if you upset her, your face you'd be introduced to her combat boots. She was a Goth and vegan, but she loved messing with people."

"Sounds like my kind of gal," Martina stated. "If only I had combat boots to go with this outfit, though."

This time, the laugh wasn't forced. "Yeah, if only. You look a lot like her, too, you know. Her hair was a bit shorter and similar in color, only she had violet eyes."

Martina grinned. "That's a rare mutation, you know. I heard about it somewhere. It's supposed to make it so girls never go through their period."

Danny blinked. "Odd. There were many times I thought Sam was on hers…"

That ended up in a few laughs from the two of them.

"I would offer you to sit with me," Martina said, frowning lightly as they made it to the doors. If Danny hadn't been so happily talking to someone, he would've noticed the delicious smells coming from it. "But I sit with the Messengers. But, you know, someone is graduating soon. You may be taking his place if you work really hard."

Danny grinned. "Thanks, I'll try my best. It's just–" Danny gasped, but hiccuped as he covered his mouth to hide the blue fog.

Martina frowned. "You okay, Fenton?"

"Fine," he answered. Danny began looking around frantically, hoping to spot something ghostly. "I'll be back in a second, okay? I've got to use the restroom."

He ran off, leaving Martina there. She stomped her foot on the ground angrily, forcing the cafeteria door open as she stormed in. She wanted to be Danny's friend, and she didn't want him running off so suddenly. It bugged her.

Danny ended up by the stone plaza (as Fenton, Phantom had been too risky), looking for the ghost.

He had Boxy with him, so that left him clueless as to whom this ghost would be. Because, in all honesty, Boxy was the only ghost who could annoy him endlessly in the sense he always found him.

Still, Danny had him in the Thermos, and he really didn't feel like dealing with ghosts. It was like someone wanted his secret to be exposed there, which meant Danny had to try really, really hard to keep it in tact.

After all, Boxy had almost exposed it right in front of Jackson and Jillison. Even at a school where everyone is supposed to be equal, he would stand out like a sore thumb.

He gasped again, the blue mist escaping. He shot around to loook for the source, but found nothing.

Nothing.

"Who's there?" he called, resulting to it. If someone saw him, they would think he was crazy. Well, so be it.

No response.

"Who is there?" Danny repeated, squatting. If he had to, he would turn shift to find the ghost. He just hoped there was no cameras on the school grounds.

This time, he did get a response. It wasn't one to his knowledge however, but to someone else's entirely.

"Time out."

"Time in."

"Who's there? Show yourself!" Danny yelled, spinning in time to see a faint blue aura coming off of some random spot. He walked closer, but it vanished before he got to it. "What the heck was that?" he cried, throwing his hands in the air.

"What was what?"

Danny shot around, coming face-to-face with Martina. Had she followed him out here?

"I-I don't know," Danny stuttered, walking towards her. "It just looked like something g–" Danny stopped himself. He had almost said 'ghostly', but here, people would brush him off quicker than he had been at Amity. He might lose Martina, his only potential friend, and he didn't want that.

He actually wanted a life now. And for that, he needed friends. But he wanted friends who knew him…like Sam and Tucker had known him…

"I just looked like something cool," Danny lied, refusing to meet Martina's gaze. It was full of disbelief, and for a second Danny thought she would pressure him into telling the truth about what it was.

"Really? Because you sure as hell thought someone was there."

Oh. She had seen him screaming.

Danny blushed. "I, uh, I just thought someone was following me."

Martina grinned slyly. "You know, there's old mineshafts around here. It's one of the first things you learn."

"Jackson and Jillison didn't go into much detail about that," Danny noted, recalling the slight mention of it.

Martina took that as an opening. "They never do, really. Some of the students think that they're haunted, though. I think they're just a bunch of loons, though. However, if it was actually haunted, you may be being haunted!"

Danny laughed out of irony, but Martina thought it was out of his ridiculous opinion.

"You'd be surprised, Martina," he joked, moving closer in a spooky way. Martina remained unmoving, placing a hand on her hip. "I may be the one doing the haunting!"

"I highly doubt that, Fenton," Martina remarked, leaning in closely to Danny. "It sure does take a lot more then some teenage boy to scare me."

"Oh? How so?"

"Because," Martina began. "I'm the one who scares all the teenage boys."

"You don't scare me."

"Yeah, I do."

"No, you don't."

Martina raised an eyebrow.

"Okay, fine! You do…"

Martina laughed.

**Bit of thoughts on Mr. Curtain's part, and I suspect we all know who the ghost was. Who wants to know what Clockwork did? REview to let me know! **

**~Jet**


End file.
